The Image staff muses on the culture of keeping up appearances

Kim Jones to helm Louis Vuitton menswear

March 2, 2011 | 3:55
pm

With all the kerfuffle over John Galliano -- and the rampant speculation of who might replace him at Christian Dior -- we almost missed the announcement of another personnel change in the French fashion world that landed in our inbox Tuesday. Kim Jones is replacing Paul Helbers as men's studio director at Louis Vuitton.

Under artistic director Marc Jacobs, Helbers has been at the helm of the LV men's business for the last five years -- a time period which saw the men's business nearly double, and included runway collections inspired by African royalty, New York City bike messengers, the Wiener Werkstätte and, most recently, a mix of Amish simplicity and David Lynch creepiness.

Succeeding him in the position, effective Tuesday, is Jones, who served as creative director of the century-old Alfred Dunhill brand for 2 1/2 years before leaving that post in September 2010.

I always thought Jones had a knack for interpreting and updating Dunhill's DNA -- not just in the clothing but accessories as well -- elegant Art Deco fountain pens, silk map-printed pocket squares and jump-drive keyfobs among them -- and I can't wait to see what he's going to do once he's turned loose in the vast archives of Louis Vuitton.

Photos: At top, the finale of the Louis Vuitton menswear AW11 runway show on Jan. 20, the last under men's studio director Paul Helbers. Credit: Jonas Gustavsson and Peter Stigter / For The Times. At bottom, Kim Jones, who succeeds Helbers in that position effective Tuesday. Credit: Josh Olins.